Who are we looking for?

We’re looking for students who want to make a difference. People who want to work together to combine statistics and computation skills within a health setting to overcome existing challenges and look to develop new opportunities.

You will develop your background in quantitative science (e.g. maths, statistics, physics, engineering, computing) and learn new skills within the health and biomedical communities, so that together you can undertake ground-breaking research.

What can we offer?

Year 1: Foundation training delivered across our University partners throughout the UK.

  • Common Core Syllabus
    In-person and digital distance learning, delivered by HDR UK and Turing Fellows, to provide all students with a common and in-depth foundational background in the data and health sciences
  • HDR UK Immersions
    Six, five-day immersion events to gain deep insight into the work of HDR UK, our NHS and industry partners; meet potential PhD supervisors at each of our regional sites
  • Turing Sprints
    Three week-long intensive data dives tackling a real-world problem using a team-based approach
  • Researcher Development
    Training delivered by academic, industry and NHS experts to promote personal and professional development in leadership capability, cross-sector collaborative skills and inter-disciplinary working

Years 2-4: Selection of research project based on your interests from year 1, undertaken at one of the HDR UK or The Alan Turing Institute partner universities:

Throughout the programme you will be co-supervised by at least one expert in quantitative methods and one in substantive health research, with potential input from non-academic partner organisations.

The programme offers the following to students:

  • Tax free student stipend (Year 1 rates of £19,919 for those based outside London and £22,278 for those based in London with increases each year).
  • PhD registration fees at the UK/EU student rate (and college fees where required)
  • Research expensesand travel costs
  • Significant support for training and help to transition to the next step of your career at the end of the PhD

 Who is running the programme?

This unique programme combines the expertise of two national institutes: Health Data Research UK (Health Data Science) and The Alan Turing Institute (Data Science and Artificial Intelligence). It is funded by Wellcome and champions their principles of scientific excellence and changing research culture for the better.

On this programme you will be able to engage with a range of leading Universities from Health Data Research UK’s and the Turing’s networks. Students will be registered at one of our partner universities with potential to change university at the end of their first year.

How do I apply?

Before applying we recommend students read through the relevant materials, as provided below:

Call Document 

Frequently Asked Questions

To submit an application, please use the link below. The application process is managed by The Alan Turing Institute through its online Flexigrant portal. All candidates will also need to apply to one our partner universities.

Apply now

Applications close Tuesday 7 January 2020 at 12.00 GMT.

Health Data Research UK and The Alan Turing Institute are committed to championing equality, diversity, and inclusion. If you have questions about the studentships or require adjustments to the application process, please contact our team on academic-recruitment@turing.ac.uk or on +44 (0)203 862 3345.

For more information about how we process applicant’s data please view our Transparency Notice here.

PhD Programme Team

Our Programme Team includes the following people from Health Data Research UK and the Alan Turing Institute:

Prof Peter Diggle
Prof Christopher Yau
Victoria Platt
Dr Ben Murton
Amy Gallimore